Netflix Buys Up All of Roald Dahl's Intellectual Property
Netflix is tackling intellectual property head-on.
The streaming wars are fought with subscribers. And the way to get subscribers is to hook the whole family. Now Netflix is entering the fight in a big way. It's been confirmed this morning that Netflix has snapped up all of Roald Dahl's children's stories.
That's right, they'll own Willy Wonka, The BFG,James and the Giant Peach, and all the other titles that you loved as a kid.
We're unsure how this affects Warner Bros.' Wonka movie, which is in development right now and scheduled for 2023.
Dahl's work has sold hundreds of millions of copies and represents a huge boon for Netflix. They already had a three-year-old agreement with the Roald Dahl Story Company to make animated shows based on the material, but now they'll own the entire business with plans to create a "universe" of projects.
They can make movies, TV shows, limited series, and anything they want. They can also add to their 209 million subscribers with child-friendly fare.
This all comes at a price. No one is quite sure, but insiders are theorizing it's between $500 million and $1 billion.
But rest assured Dahl's deep catalog should help appeal to people all over the globe.
As other streamers gain ground with more four-quadrant appeal, look for Netflix to continue to chase intellectual property. And everyone else to do the same.
We'll keep you updated as this develops further.
